THE MORNING POST

London, England

29 June 1934

ALEISTER CROWLEY ON HIS TRIAL.

COUNSEL QUESTIONS ‘BETTY MAY.’

BOOK ISSUED AS HER STORY.

Edward Alexander Crowley, aged fifty-eight, described as an explorer, pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey yesterday to the charge of receiving four original letters and one copy of a letter said to have been stolen from Mrs. Betty Sedgwick, known as “Betty May,” a model.

The trial was adjourned.

Mr. Melford Stevenson, prosecuting, said that it was alleged that Crowley received the letters between June 21, 1933, and April 10, 1934.

In 1932 Crowley became a plaintiff in a civil action for damages for libel.

That was brought against some publishers called Constable, and it was in respect of a passage in a book published by them in which certain reflections, according to Crowley, were made on him in the name of Aleister Crowley.

“Mrs. Sedgwick, who is also known as Betty May, who has earned her living as an artist’s model.” said Mr. Stevenson, “was a person who had given to the solicitors for the defence in that action a certain amount of information about Crowley, and she was in June 1933 expecting at some future time to be called as a witness to give evidence against him in the libel action.

“TIGER WOMAN”

It was alleged that the letters which had passed between Mrs. Sedgwick and the solicitors who were arranging for her to be called were stolen from her attaché case when she was staying at a country cottage.

Mrs. Betty Sedgwick, who gave evidence, said, in reply to Mr. C. Gallop, defending, that as a professional model she had been receiving sums of money for sittings, and was sitting during the High Court action.

Mr. Gallop, holding up a book, asked: “Do you recognise this book—Tiger Woman, My Story by Betty May.

Mrs. Sedgwick: Yes.

Was it issued to the public as your autobiography?—Yes, it was.

Whereas I gather you now say you had not written the story?—No.

Do you regard that as fraudulent?—I didn’t think about it.

Mr. Gallop: Who is Captain Eddie Cruz?—He was a friend of mine. I think he stole those papers. I know he did.

The Judge: Where is he now?—We cannot find him.

Mr. Gallop: Would you be surprised to hear that somebody calling himself Captain Cruze had been telephoning Crowley’s solicitors in the last two or three days?—I do not know.

Mr. Gallop: Did you let Cruze have these letters as some security that you would pay him some money?—Certainly not, I had paid him so much money. He had very little money himself.